My experience of 5-year licence renewal at Bangkok DLT 3 (near Sukhumvit 99)

[Wiggy]

I thought I'd share my experience from yesterday:

 

I arrived at 06:30. We were asked to form an orderly queue and the doors opened at 07:30. There were about 150 people there at this time. It took about 15 minutes to reach the first counter (named "Information"). Documents required were:

 

• Work permit (original and one set of copies - she only kept about 4 pages, but I had every page just in case)
• Passport (original and one set of copies - she only kept about 3 pages, but I had every page just in case)
• Old licence (5-year)

 

I did have a copy of my old passport as that was the number on my old licence, but this was not required, just the new passport. No medical certificate required. 

 

An official then gave me a form and I was told where to fill in my name, phone number and sign it. She then attached the WP and passport copies to the form along with my old licence and gave me a queue number and I was directed to sit and wait for my queue number to be called (counters 9-13). I was called to counter 11 about 15 minutes later. The official entered data from my WP and passport into the computer. He then printed out a form and I was asked to check if my name, passport number, address etc. were correct. I said they were and he directed me to wait outside room 17 (the physical test room) until my number was called. By now it's about 8:00am. I was called into the room at about 8:15am. I passed all three tests (peripheral vision, depth perception and reaction) and my form (from the first step) was signed. It is now about 8:30am. I was then told to wait for the road safety/etiquette video to be shown in room 16, which was next door. A group of about 50 people (including me) were called at around 8:50am for a 9:00am start to the video. This was the fist showing of the day. We watched the hour-long video, which did contain some valid points, although the subtitles were a bit weird (e.g. they used the word "outpace" instead of "overtake", which I thought was odd, but probably got it from Google translate or something). I feel that drink-driving and what to do when faced with a red traffic light should have been included. I also thought the video was a little childish and condoned violence, as when someone parked incorrectly he was hit over the head. Anyway, we were then given our paperwork back and we left that room and then we had to wait for the photo and new licence to be issued. The actual process was pretty fast, although the wait was about 30 minutes. I paid 555 baht. I left the building at 10:30am, with my licence valid for 5 years and 363 days as my birthday was on Saturday when the old licence expired.

 

In all, it wasn't bad and although the officials weren't overly friendly they weren't rude either. I admire them for that as it must be an extremely mundane job.

 

Finally, I would advise that the English language ability of many of the staff was low (this is not a criticism), so if your Thai isn't very good so you might want to take a Thai speaker with you. Also, many of the signs are in English, but not all of them make complete sense. I can read some Thai and as such I managed to read the order and location of the above steps in Thai at the bottom of the queue ticket which helped a lot. I'm posting this so that others can have an idea of what to expect. Also, get there early as there are only a certain number of videos shown per day.

 

Cheers.

[OneMoreFarang]

Thanks for the detailed report.

Do you know when applicants have to arrive?

Would you recommend to come early like you or does it not rally matter?

Do you know if some weekdays are busier than others?

Thanks

 

[Wiggy]

20 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks for the detailed report.

Do you know when applicants have to arrive?

Would you recommend to come early like you or does it not rally matter?

Do you know if some weekdays are busier than others?

Thanks

 

I saw a sign which said that only 500 people are accepted each day, so the earlier the better I would guess. The website says the office opens at 08:30, but we were allowed in at 07:30. If you arrived mid-morning for example you might be asked to return the next day (and there would be nowhere to park as the car park was full when I left). It was busy yesterday, but I honestly couldn't say if that was normal or not. I would assume Mondays are busier as all those licences expiring on Saturday and Sunday need to be renewed.

[davidst01]

I dont have a WP. I assume its not mandatory? If one takes a yellow book, pink card and passport will this suffice?

[Dazinoz]

1 hour ago, davidst01 said:

I dont have a WP. I assume its not mandatory? If one takes a yellow book, pink card and passport will this suffice?

I don't have WP, yellow book or pink card.

[peterb17]

Gosh

[Retfed50]

25 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

I don't have WP, yellow book or pink card.

In most DLT offices, you would then probably need a Certificate of Residency from Immigration.

[SoonOh]

Total BS post, 

There is no need to wait. 

You can renew your current Thai driving licence at any land transport office as long as you have residence certificate, med report ( nothing more than 30days old) , original documents and photocopies.  Most Land transport office people speak English better than i do. ChiagMai, and Lamphun office people speak German too. 

[Wiggy]

16 hours ago, davidst01 said:

I dont have a WP. I assume its not mandatory? If one takes a yellow book, pink card and passport will this suffice?

I would imagine so as you need proof of address.

[Dazinoz]

18 hours ago, SoonOh said:

Total BS post, 

There is no need to wait. 

You can renew your current Thai driving licence at any land transport office as long as you have residence certificate, med report ( nothing more than 30days old) , original documents and photocopies.  Most Land transport office people speak English better than i do. ChiagMai, and Lamphun office people speak German too. 

Why is it  a BS post when the OP is just posting their experience of the event? 

[GarryP]

So how do you go about getting a license for nearly 6 years as in the OPs case? 

[transam]

26 minutes ago, GarryP said:

So how do you go about getting a license for nearly 6 years as in the OPs case? 

If you renew late they thank you with another year. Mine have been 6 year ones..

[GarryP]

49 minutes ago, transam said:

If you renew late they thank you with another year. Mine have been 6 year ones..

So I should renew in the window after my birthday (expiry date) and not before?

[transam]

4 minutes ago, GarryP said:

So I should renew in the window after my birthday (expiry date) and not before?

Yep....I usually go 2 days after cake time..

[Wiggy]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

So how do you go about getting a license for nearly 6 years as in the OPs case? 

The license duration is five years from your next birthday; if you go two days before the licence expires you'll get 5 years and 2 days. Two days after and you get five years and 363 days.

[Wiggy]

20 hours ago, SoonOh said:

Total BS post, 

There is no need to wait. 

You can renew your current Thai driving licence at any land transport office as long as you have residence certificate, med report ( nothing more than 30days old) , original documents and photocopies.  Most Land transport office people speak English better than i do. ChiagMai, and Lamphun office people speak German too. 

- No, it isn't.

- No need to wait for what?

- I didn't need a medical certificate and I don't have a residence certificate.

- I didn't encounter any particularly good English speakers, but that's not going to be the case in all DLT offices, obviously.

[KhunBENQ]

20 hours ago, SoonOh said:

Most Land transport office people speak English better than i do.

Either your English is terrible or >your< post is BS.

Long that I read such rubbish.

[GarryP]

1 minute ago, Wiggy said:

- No, it isn't.

- No need to wait for what?

- I didn't need a medical certificate and I don't have a residence certificate.

- I didn't encounter any particularly good English speakers, but that's not going to be the case in all DLT offices, obviously.

I live near the DLT Center in Bang Jak and your description sounded spot on for my motorcycle license renewal there.  

[Wiggy]

1 minute ago, GarryP said:

I live near the DLT Center in Bang Jak and your description sounded spot on for my motorcycle license renewal there.  

Thanks. 

[NicoBKK]

Confirming every word and if not WP they need certificate of residence. I arrived around 10:00 AM and was out at 1:30PM, just missed by 5 min the Video as I was over with my tests by 11:05 and video started at 11:00, so had to wait until 12:00. Suggest to go Tue to Thu as Mondays and Fridays are usually busier. I was there on my own and confirm, officers there are good in English 

[Bob1million]

Hello could please tell me if a resident certificate was required for the renewal in Bangkok. Basicly a certificate of residence from Immagration, important question .

I thought I'd share my experience from yesterday:
 
I arrived at 06:30. We were asked to form an orderly queue and the doors opened at 07:30. There were about 150 people there at this time. It took about 15 minutes to reach the first counter (named "Information"). Documents required were:
 

• Work permit (original and one set of copies - she only kept about 4 pages, but I had every page just in case)
• Passport (original and one set of copies - she only kept about 3 pages, but I had every page just in case)
• Old licence (5-year)

 
I did have a copy of my old passport as that was the number on my old licence, but this was not required, just the new passport. No medical certificate required. 
 
An official then gave me a form and I was told where to fill in my name, phone number and sign it. She then attached the WP and passport copies to the form along with my old licence and gave me a queue number and I was directed to sit and wait for my queue number to be called (counters 9-13). I was called to counter 11 about 15 minutes later. The official entered data from my WP and passport into the computer. He then printed out a form and I was asked to check if my name, passport number, address etc. were correct. I said they were and he directed me to wait outside room 17 (the physical test room) until my number was called. By now it's about 8:00am. I was called into the room at about 8:15am. I passed all three tests (peripheral vision, depth perception and reaction) and my form (from the first step) was signed. It is now about 8:30am. I was then told to wait for the road safety/etiquette video to be shown in room 16, which was next door. A group of about 50 people (including me) were called at around 8:50am for a 9:00am start to the video. This was the fist showing of the day. We watched the hour-long video, which did contain some valid points, although the subtitles were a bit weird (e.g. they used the word "outpace" instead of "overtake", which I thought was odd, but probably got it from Google translate or something). I feel that drink-driving and what to do when faced with a red traffic light should have been included. I also thought the video was a little childish and condoned violence, as when someone parked incorrectly he was hit over the head. Anyway, we were then given our paperwork back and we left that room and then we had to wait for the photo and new licence to be issued. The actual process was pretty fast, although the wait was about 30 minutes. I paid 555 baht. I left the building at 10:30am, with my licence valid for 5 years and 363 days as my birthday was on Saturday when the old licence expired.
 
In all, it wasn't bad and although the officials weren't overly friendly they weren't rude either. I admire them for that as it must be an extremely mundane job.
 
Finally, I would advise that the English language ability of many of the staff was low (this is not a criticism), so if your Thai isn't very good so you might want to take a Thai speaker with you. Also, many of the signs are in English, but not all of them make complete sense. I can read some Thai and as such I managed to read the order and location of the above steps in Thai at the bottom of the queue ticket which helped a lot. I'm posting this so that others can have an idea of what to expect. Also, get there early as there are only a certain number of videos shown per day.
 
Cheers.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Bob1million]

Hello is the process for certificate of residence straight forward from Immagration? Do they simply look you up on there computer then issue it ?
Would appreciate this information

Total BS post, 
There is no need to wait. 
You can renew your current Thai driving licence at any land transport office as long as you have residence certificate, med report ( nothing more than 30days old) , original documents and photocopies.  Most Land transport office people speak English better than i do. ChiagMai, and Lamphun office people speak German too. 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Wiggy]

6 hours ago, Bob1million said:

Hello could please tell me if a resident certificate was required for the renewal in Bangkok. Basicly a certificate of residence from Immagration, important question .

 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

I didn’t require a residence certificate as I used my work permit. You need to have proof of address. My understanding is that it can be in the form of a WP, residency certificate from immigration, a letter from your embassy or a yellow tabien baan (house/condo registration). They need this as your address is entered on the back of the driving licence. It’s best to check with your local DLT office first as requirements can vary between offices. 

[Just Weird]

On 9/10/2019 at 8:36 AM, Wiggy said:

I was called into the room at about 8:15am. I passed all three tests (peripheral vision, depth perception and reaction)

Did you have to do the colour blindness test also? 

[Wiggy]

On 9/12/2019 at 10:28 AM, Just Weird said:

Did you have to do the colour blindness test also? 

No, I didn’t. There was a chart with all the coloured circles next to the depth perception gadget, but no one was being asked to do it. I had to do it for my first licence but not since. Maybe if you get the colours wrong on the peripheral vision test then they do the colour blindness one as well?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Wiggy said:

peripheral vision

Does anybody of you have any tips about that?

I am short sighed so I need glasses for long distance which I wear when I drive.

Last time I made the peripheral test I found it really difficult and my glasses, which work for long distance, did obviously not help for the very short distance from the eyes to the LEDs to the left and right (at least this is how I remember the test from some time ago). Last time I took off the glasses but it was still not clear.

And if I would use other glasses for short distance I guess that would also not help because the glasses are for looking straight ahead. The glasses wouldn't cover the area which is used for peripheral vision.

Any ideas?

[GarryP]

34 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Does anybody of you have any tips about that?

I am short sighed so I need glasses for long distance which I wear when I drive.

Last time I made the peripheral test I found it really difficult and my glasses, which work for long distance, did obviously not help for the very short distance from the eyes to the LEDs to the left and right (at least this is how I remember the test from some time ago). Last time I took off the glasses but it was still not clear.

And if I would use other glasses for short distance I guess that would also not help because the glasses are for looking straight ahead. The glasses wouldn't cover the area which is used for peripheral vision.

Any ideas?

They tell you to look straight ahead when they do this test, but do not notice if in fact you move your eyes in the direction of the lights as long as you don't move your head.  

[Just Weird]

8 hours ago, Wiggy said:

No, I didn’t. There was a chart with all the coloured circles next to the depth perception gadget, but no one was being asked to do it. I had to do it for my first licence but not since. Maybe if you get the colours wrong on the peripheral vision test then they do the colour blindness one as well?

You're saying that the "peripheral vision test" needed you to identify colours as they appeared, yes?  That would be the colour blindness test, surely?

[GarryP]

3 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

You're saying that the "peripheral vision test" needed you to identify colours as they appeared, yes?  That would be the colour blindness test, surely?

The color blindness test is a bunch of circles within a big circle. 

 

The peripheral vision is three dots switching from front to side to side in green amber and red, so actually it probably serves two purposes. Color blindness too. 

[Just Weird]

12 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The color blindness test is a bunch of circles within a big circle. 

 

The peripheral vision is three dots switching from front to side to side in green amber and red, so actually it probably serves two purposes. Color blindness too. 

"The peripheral vision is three dots switching from front to side to side in green amber and red..."

That's a colour blindness test also, that's why the only thing that you have to do is identify three colours correctly!